USA SALES JULY - Mercedes/Smart both reports increases in sales for the month, and at the expense of BMW.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported record July sales of 28,523 vehicles, increasing 3.6% from the 27,526 vehicles sold during the same month last year. Mercedes-Benz Vans also reported best-ever July sales with 3,272 units, and smart reported 493 units, up 11.8%, bringing MBUSA grand total to 32,288 vehicles for the month, up 7.2% from last year.

"We are continuing to see strong momentum build into the third quarter, fueled by the recent launch of three of our dream cars," said Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of MBUSA. "The S-Class Cabriolet, SL and SLC Roadsters, teamed with strong momentum for the all-new E-Class helped us set a new record for July."

Mercedes-Benz volume leaders in July included the C-Class, E-Class (including the CLS) and GLE model lines. The C-Class took the lead at 6,304, followed by the E-Class at 5,225. The GLE, rounded out the top three with 4,412 units sold.

Mercedes-AMG high-performance models sold 1,565 units in July, up 68.1% from last year (931), with a total of 12,510 units sold year-to-date (up 79.3%).

Separately, Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) models recorded sales of 10,517 vehicles in July, an increase of 8.8% from last year (9,669). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 70,863 vehicles, an increase of 3.4%.